Pantheon
by MrCrazian
Summary: Two realms are created, The God Realm and The Modern Realm. Both exist on the same space and time as the other, but just on a different dimension. But what happens when they begin to merge? Join me as I tell you a story full of action, love, gods and goddess, Immortals and mortals. Is it really the end? Or the start of a new beginning? OC Demigods and Disciples to the Gods.
1. Prologue

It's funny isn't it? The whole idea of the word 'Destiny', the word that rules all tales. Whether it be divine stories of heroism, or a simple campfire story. Destiny has been given a sort of positive connotation for most, making it attractive in the sense that it is used to justify why or how things have happened. Much like picking up an object of the ground and letting go. If nothing is under or reacting against that object, it is destiny that it will fall. No questions asked, it will fall.

But, that is also known as a law, a scientific law. Now, compare the word destiny, and the idea of scientific law. You see it? It's both meant to happen, no questions asked. If someone is destined to die at a certain point in his life, he will die. Same as if you throw a ball into the vacuum of space, it will keep going until an opposite force reacts to it, effectively stopping it, or slowing it. Aren't they the same? Law and Destiny? But law isn't as attractive as destiny isn't it? But in reality, the idea of those two words, are the same. If something is meant to happen, it is bound to happen.

There is an age old question that many philosophers, ideologist, thinkers, authors and maybe man in general ask, are we controlled by fate? Or do we have the freedom to our own destiny? Is it possible that everything in this universe has their own destiny, that whoever or whatever must abide by? Is everyone going to do what they were MEANT to do? Or is everyone going to do what they MEAN to do? An impossible question to answer really, no surefire way to collect evidence to explain either argument.

Now let me explain to you a new word, the opposite of destiny. Freedom. Now people look at the idea of freedom relatively as a good thing, so does that mean destiny is bad? Of course not. But if beings in this universe have a destiny, freedom cannot exist. Think about it, if everything in the world is tied down to a certain destiny, are we free? No, we cannot choose what we want to happen. You are going to go from point A to point B. No if, ands or buts. Same concept if we lived in a world of freedom, the idea of 'Destiny' cannot exist. If we are absolutely free, we can choose what can happen. There is a point A, but we then create are own point to reach.

So take this as food for thought as I tell a story of two very different worlds, universes set apart by a dimensional plane created by Gods themselves. Yup, you heard me, Gods. The supernatural beings that were told as myths in stories you probably heard at school. Greek, Roman, Norse, Egyptian, Hindu and Chinese gods/immortals that many believed to be myths all exist... Just not in this dimension.

Long ago, in the early 21st century, humans began to further questioned their place in the universe and their origins. Delving deep into scientific theories like "The Big Bang" to explain the birth of time and space. But as humans understood more and more about the world, beliefs in the gods weakened. The more the human species progresses as a whole, the more religion faded into darkness. The Greek god Zeus was angered by this, slowly watching as the subjects he created lost sight of the ideals that gave them life in the first place. Religion was losing it's grip on society and as it did, the powers of the gods weakened. Although Gods are immortal and cannot die, they can fade into non-existence. This derives from the Gods greatest strength and their greatest weakness, their followers. If people worshiped a certain deity within a dominion, that deity would become stronger in their presence. Same concept if people begin to forget that particular deity, they would lose their strength and begin to fade. If they were completely forgotten... They wouldn't die, they just wouldn't have any power to be relevant anymore. With that being said, how are the ancient Greek gods still here and haven't faded to oblivion? They are still being remembered. Although remembrance isn't nearly as strong as worship, it still gives the gods enough power to have a small presence in the world.

With this thought in mind, in an act of self-preservation, the Greek Gods gave birth to another realm, just as they did to this one. They created dimensional portals between the two planes that allowed the gods to pass through. Each god took many of the descendants of their original demigods, people who were born from a god and a mortal, and brought them to this new realm. Not long after, other pantheons began to follow suite, bringing with them their culture and identity to the new realm until a total of 6 dominions were created in the new world. Of those dominions were: Greeks, Romans, Chinese, Hindu, Egyptian and Norse. Each pantheon terraformed the new realm, each creating their civilizations that surrounded a massive mountain, thousands of miles wide, and thousands of feet tall in the center of the 6 dominions. This gigantic landmass was called, Eon, created by the gods as a sort of sacred land that mortals can never reach. It stood as a reminder to keep fate and religion as a foundation to the new realm, and to never forget the gods themselves. It was the mountain that stood as a symbol of defiance against the idea progression and science.

Once the civilizations were built, and the lines were drawn, the gods gathered around the summit of Eon during the Summer Solstice to discuss the rules of this new realm. Many divine laws were created this day, among them the most important:

1\. Gods and Immortals cannot interfere with the affairs of mortals in the act of war.

2\. A God or Immortal of one pantheon cannot have a child with a mortal of another.

3\. Any memory The Modern Realm will be wiped from all mortals, and will never be spoken of again.

4\. Progression is to be only to the Gods discretion.

With these laws and more, the Gods and Immortals of the 6 Pantheons swore to abide by it, thus signaling the birth of The God Realm. But it did not come without a price. The two realms are positioned in the same time and space as one another, but on a different dimension. This causes major shifts in the balance of the universe, something the gods did not expect. It could be best explained as a paradox. Both universes living in the same space, same time, but cannot interact with each other. If interaction was to be made, it would begin to slowly merge the two dimensions with another. In other words, the apocalypse of both realms. Instead of merging as one, the realms will collide, breaking matter at it's core, giving birth to a black hole that would swallow the space and time in which both realms partake in.

In order to eliminate all contact with the other realm, the Gods severed the dimensional portals that connected the two planes, effectively cutting themselves off from The Modern Realm. Or... So they thought...


	2. Chapter 1

"What the Hades is this?" Was all Edzoulas could muster as he took in the environment around him. Which didn't take much due to the absolute darkness that surrounded him. Oddly enough the only source of light radiated from his body. But it was dim, very dim, only allowing him to see about 2 feet in front of him.

Better than nothing, at least he could see himself and the crimson water that engulfed his feet. Wait, crimson water? He quickly glanced down again, now fully realizing what he was surrounded by. There was no mistaking it, it was blood. The end of his trench coat dipped under the surface, causing him to scowl, remembering the hassle it was to remove blood stains. He of all people should know.

After a bit of thought, he summed it up to be another one of his nightmares. He asked out loud to himself. "Did I do this?" A wave of uncertainty washed over him as he couldn't recall a scene like this in his mind. Before he began to frustrate himself a voice shook him out of his thoughts.

"You're being modest. You and I both know the blood you spilled would make this look like a mere puddle." The voice was feminine. It also seemed like her voice echoed from all directions, stopping his attempt to get closer to the sound.

"I know all about the blood I spilled, the question is how do you?" Edzoulas sharply asked. His shoulders began to tense. She knows about his past... A past he thought that was buried deep into the ground. It was no wonder why his voice was on edge. He felt threatened. Fingers dug into his palm, readying for a fight. "My past is known by no one, and I'll make sure it stays that way, even if I have to add more to my little puddle." His voice took a dangerous tone, he wasn't going to let every foundation he built crumble because of his past, at least not without a fight.

"Don't feel that way Exile, after all, this is just a dream isn't it? No harm in me knowing your past, you're not sure I even exist yet." He could almost feel the smile on her face at his realization.

Oh yeah, how could he forget? But it didn't feel right, this isn't like any of the nightmares that filled his head all his life. This was a dream.

"You have a point, but unless in a moment I would kill you, then unwillingly watch how your death affected the lives around you, this would be different than my usual nights of blood-induced hellish nightmares. " Edzoulas quietly realized, gaining a sigh from the woman.

"Well... I'm still breathing and I assume you aren't having terrible visions, so is it safe to say it is a dream? Although, there is blood, everywhere in fact. But its not mines, so can't you just enjoy the fact that it isn't a nightmare?" She acted as if she'd done this to benefit him, which in truth she did. Well, partly anyways. She still required a favor from him.

Edzoulas' tension slowly escaped him as he eased down at her words, a smile slowly crept on his face. "Now that you mention it, it is a nice change from the usual. Are all my nights gonna be like this?" Unable to mask his excitement, not that he was even trying to. Gods it would be nice to have dreams again, even it was with a pool of blood and an omnipresent girl. Anything was better than those nightmares.

"Sorry, I wish I could, but I've broken enough rules by even talking to you." She told him sadly.

Joy. After finally getting a taste of what a dream was again, tomorrow it'd be back to his usual ordeal. His shoulders slumped in defeat, but the identity of this girl was keeping him in a state of suspicion. "Broken rules? Who are you and how do you know my past?" He asked without any resentment towards her, since this was a dream, he guessed it really didn't matter. But even if she was in her dream, he still doesn't know who "She" is.

"Let's just say I've been with you your entire life, I was just too shy to say anything." She lied. Shyness was never the problem, it was just the process of getting to talk to him. It was like pulling nails to get the messenger of Death, Thanatos, to agree.

As if he read her mind, Edzoulas chuckled, "A shy Goddess? I don't think those even exist."

"Who said I was a Goddess?" She jabbed playfully.

"Judging from the fact you've been watching me, and that you broke through Thanatos' curse, you'd have to he a Goddess or Immortal of some sort."

"Well, sort of. Call me Cay, with a C."

"Cay?"

"No, Cay, with a C."

"Wha-" Edzoulas caught himself before falling to her jokes, causing him to smirk which made the voice giggle in response. "Sort of? What dominion do you control?"

"Everything." This caused him to chuckle obnoxiously . She hadn't planned on making a joke, but she wasn't surprised when he laughed at her statement.

"Everything huh? So you aren't gonna tell me? Bummer.." He laughed, one single God can't control everything, that would break the power balance between the pantheons. So he assumed she was joking, as to hide her identity. At least he knew her name now.

"Anyways, listen to my instructions. I'm running out of time." The playfulness in her voice vanished, surprising Edzoulas, but he listened nonetheless. "Something big is coming, and you need to be prepared. I need you to form a team and I have your candidates. First, you must locate the Praetor of the 1st Legion. I will talk to you more after you put the Roman on your team." The dreamlike world he was in began to shake, as if he was in his own mind and he was shaking himself awake.

"What is coming? Cay! Why am I doing this?" He asked, but the voice seemed to fade away, almost inaudible as a bright light blinded his vision. The last he heard from her was, "To save the worlds."

As sudden as it began, the dream ended. Light filled Edzoulas' vision as his eyes fluttered open. He shook his head violently, getting the bangs that obscured his vision off his eyes while he swung his legs to the side of his bed. The sun was beaming down light throw the slits of his window, which made him squint as he jumped off his mattress and made his way towards his closet. It wasn't much, mostly just a couple of shirts and his standard trench coat and trousers, the same he wore in his the thought of his dream, the memory of Cay's words quickly shot back into is mind, sprouting a wide grin across his lips as he realized it's been the first time in a while he hasn't woken up in cold sweat. It's not that his reoccurring nightmares scared him anymore, it was worse. It almost drove him mad. Who could blame him? Years of having nightmares of watching yourself take another life would make anyone lose their sanity, it was a surprise he still had his. But what occurred last night excited him, it was like giving a bird without wings a chance to fly again after decades of walking. With that in mind, he decided that he would do anything to speak to Cay again, hopefully within his dream again.

Edzoulas' threw on a dark shirt that fit well with his built frame, then covered himself with his trench coat. He then wrapped a black scarf around his neck, carefully covering the massive tattoo that was engraved from his neck down to his left arm. The mark of the Exile, a tattoo that is given to those who were defiant to the Greek Gods. It causes the user to never enter the Greek dominion without being annihilated the moment of entry. Edzoulas' never worried about this ever since he made a home in the Chinese dominion, nor did he care how he got it. But that doesn't speak for the other Greek residence who made a home in China as well, they look at it as a sign of heracy, insolence, and disgusting. So he did the rational thing and covered it outright, rather than broadcast to the world that he was an Exile.

After fixing up his hair, which took him longer than most guys would, he headed downstairs to the mess hall of the Jaded Dragon. The Jaded Dragon was a large Inn, 3 stories high and a had a fairly large basement. It's a legendary inn that's been here ever since the beginning of the Chinese dominion, surviving all 3 World Wars, but not without it's scars. Many parts of the exterior of the Jaded Dragon were aged and torn down from erosion and warfare, but it was still remained the most visited Inn in all of China, almost thousands come a day to visit. The massive influx of people was due to the glorified drink, Dragon Tears. Visitors cross oceans to get even a sample of this drink, staying the night to drink again the next day. The inn itself is owned by the Sheng family, a powerful family that is valued highly by the Emperor because of their control over the merchant guilds. Although nowadays it isn't as powerful as it was in the past, the current owner, Jade Sheng, continued to retain the inn's place as one of the top establishments in the merchant guild.

Edzoulas pushed the heavy wooden doors open as he entered the mess hall. The strong smell of beer instantly singed his nostrils the moment he set foot in the hall. Even after 3 months of living here, he'd expect himself to get used to it by now, but it just seemed to get stronger and stronger everyday.

'Are they changing the recipe? I swear it has to be 120% alcohol by now.' He thought, trying his best not to pinch his nose.

He ignored his nostril at the moment and paid attention to the customers. He subconsciously shifted his scarf closer to his jaw when he noticed the large amount of Greek customers that came today. People of other dominions would usually shrug off the fact that he was an Exile, most don't even know what the mark meant. But you could throw that regard out the window when it comes to the Greek, conflict was almost immediate and unavoidable if his mark was seen.

"Where is Jade?" He asked a Chinese woman, who seemed a bit of her rocker.

"Jade? Were in the Jaded Dragon silly!" She slurred.

"No, no. The owner ma'am."

"Haha, you're cute!" She grabbed his scarf and pulled her face close to his, "How about a little kiss?"

"No thank you," He quickly retorted as he palmed her face, "Let go of my scarf!" But he was too late. He pushed the woman too roughly causing her to tilt backwards, flailing wildly as she fell. She grabbed on to the only thing that could save her. His scarf.

"Uwaa!" She yelped as she fell backwards, yanking the scarf clean of Edzoulas' neck, revealing his mark. The tattoo wasn't inked into his body, it was branded into his skin. A wicked black flame covered the entire left half of his neck and collarbone. Above the flame pattern etched into his skin was the Greek letter, Sigma ( Σ ). The crowd roared in laughter at the drunken woman's not-so-graceful fall, but Edzoulas remained quiet. He could feel the Greeks glare at his skin. Edzoulas quickly covered his mark and paced towards the bar where he took a seat in between two Chinese males. His eyes darted behind him, exhaling deeply when he say nobody walking towards him. Edzoulas turned back towards the bar and waited quietly for the owner to show up, that is until he felt a hand grab his shoulders. A sigh escaped his lips before he turned around to meet the person behind him. To his surprise, he met his fist instead. A scorching punch connected with his jaw, sending him reeling backwards into the counter.

"Who ever said Exiles were aloud in here?." He taunted, prolonging the word 'Exile' for effect as he grabbed his collar. Which he seemed to struggle to attempt since he was almost a foot shorter than Edzoulas.

"Probably the same one who allowed minors in the drinking area." Edzoulas' spat, breaking free from the man's grip as he retreated with his back against the bar. The shorter man roared in anger, flames spluttering to life as it covered his fist. He threw a fiery punch at Edzoulas, aiming for the smug grin that covered his face. The fist was quickly deflected by the Exile's palm as he sent a gut-wrenching kick towards the man causing him to fall backwards on his rear.

"Don't be like that, I don't want to put you in timeout, but I will If I have to shorty!" Edzoulas' couldn't help but snicker at the flaming individual. So called 'Shorty''s flames exploded to life, propelling him towards Edzoulas like a fireball.

"I'll fucking kill y-!" He was cut off as a colossal wooden hand crashed into the fiery Greek, dousing his flames as the tree-like fingers grew longer, constraining his body as the roots slowly enveloped over him. Edzoulas glanced at the giant hand in amazement at the speed at which the wooden limb erupted from the ground.

"A inn made out of wood and man who loves to play with fire? One of those things have to go, and I'll give you a hint." A feminine voice said from behind Edzoulas. A knowing smirk appeared on his lips as he turned to glance at the current owner of the Jaded Dragon. "It's not the arsonist." The wooden limb creaked as it reared back before flinging the entangled man through the window. The whole bar remained silent at the display of the owner's power, only the sound of painful groaning outside filled the air.

"You know Ms. Sheng... I had it under control." Edzoulas joked.

"Does an entire aisle burned to oblivion count as under control?" Jade playfully scolded, gesturing towards the massive burned, black tables and floorboards the Greek left in his wake.

"Hey, you're still standing, the inns not on fire, the drinks are still in their bottles and the people are still happy! I'd say that's under control." He replied.

"The people are still happy?" She smirked at him. The entire room stared uncomfortably at the two, a heavy silence enveloping the denizens of the inn.

"One second." Edzoulas curtly said as he turned away from her and faced the crowd, "Isn't it 12 o' clock?" A few people nodded at him, "Then isn't it Happy Hour?" Almost everyone looked at each other, then back to Edzoulas and nodded their heads together. " Now doesn't that mean free drinks?" The moment 'free drinks' escaped his lips the entire bar roared in approval, an uplifting cheer resonated throughout the inn. Dragon Tears began to fly as the drunkies slammed mugs with each other and just like that, the inn was back to the way it was when he entered.

"Well then! Aren't you one with words!" Jade yelled so she could actually be heard.

"Have you never met me?" Edzoulas yelled back, causing them both to laugh. Jade gestured for him to follow her towards the back of the counter where the crowd wouldn't interrupt their conversation.

Once the two entered the back room, which was also the storage room, Edzoulas plopped down on a chair Jade pulled out for him. She continued further towards the end of the room started searching for some drinks for the two of them. As she worked Edzoulas watched her, his face heated up at her choice of clothing. She wore a emerald colored skin-tight dress with a slit that revealed her caramel legs. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail leaving some bangs to cover her forehead. Jades eyes were... Well, Jade, which is what her parents named her after.

"Need a towel for all that drool Ed?" Jade chuckled. There was no doubting it, she was drop dead gorgeous, the two even dated a while back but figured it would be best to stay friends. But that didn't mean he couldn't acknowledge that she was beautiful, he was in fact still a guy after all.

"You would need an entire Colosseum to collect my drool, darling." He playfully winked,

"Anyways, you, me, Rome. What ya' think?" Jade raised an eyebrow at him, bringing a glass of milk as she sat down. She slid the glass across the table for Edzoulas to catch.

"A bit foreward don't you think? You don't seriously think that I can drop everything and go to Rome do you?" Jade frowned, "Unlike you, I have responsibilities." She stated with no real sting to her words.

"I know, I know, but just this once? It's important." Edzoulas took a sip of his drink before he continued, "I'm looking for someone."

"Who exactly?"

"No clue on who they are, but I know what they are." He place his glass down and wiped the 'milkstache' off his face.

"Edzoulas, this is seems like a wild goose chase. Plus, who's going to watch the bar when I'm gone? You've seen them, they'd tear this place apart if it weren't for me." Jade asked, tilting her head slightly, displaying a questioning look towards him.

"Don't worry about the bar, I left a note for my partner when he gets back. I'm sure he can manage for a couple of days."

"Hmm... That's not a bad idea, Charles should've have a problem with managing a couple of drunkies." Jade perked up, she had always wanted to visit Rome ever since she was young. As a child she always had a special thing for architecture, and Rome was a haven just for that. Since Charles was going to manage the bar, she decided that it wouldn't be a problem at all, he was one of the most, if not the most, orderly person she's met. Not to mention intimidating, being a Spartan and all.

"So... Are you in?" Edzoulas pleaded.

"When in Rome, I guess." Jade smirked, causing a massive grin to plaster on Edzoulas' face.

* * *

 **Well, hopefully you like it, feel free to comment about the story, some useful feedback would be nice. Actually, I need some feedback, I suck ass at this stuff.**


	3. Chapter 2

The sun gleamed brightly over the Roman horizon, breathing life as light passed over the many statues that littered the Roman pavilion. Citizens gathered here usually for social matters, but today was special. Today was another day of Colosseum games, ranging from different events such as animal fights, ship battles or the most renown one of all, gladiator games. Romans began streaming through the pavilion as they paid for entry to watch. Among them was a lanky man with red hair who wore full roman battle regalia. He carefully observed the people as they waded past him to grab their seats all while shielding an old man behind him from being trampled.

"Sir, what are we doing again?" The man in armor asked the old man.

"Were waiting for the First of course, we've done this for every Colosseum event if you don't recall Tay." The older man was wrapped in a white toga, his head adorned with a laurel.

"It's Octavius, Emperor Tylis, I'm on duty, it's out of protocol to call me by my nickname." Octavius frowned at the emperor, causing the shorter man to chuckle and pat his right shoulder.

"That's quite alright lad, I'm well acquainted with you anyways. I'm sure the council won't mind." Tylis spoke, smiling genuinely at the younger soldier.

"Whatever you say, Tylis." Octavius sighed, "If your waiting for the First, she won't be coming to the arena this way. She never passed through the commoner entrance ever since she was promoted to the Praetor in the first place."

Tylis simply laughed and pat Octavius's shoulders, returning to his former state of glancing at the moving lines of people as they entered the Colosseum. Tay shrugged his shoulders and held back a laugh at the old Emperor's actions and, as he did many years beforehand, waited for the First to appear once again. He remembered when Tylis first met the First, it was in this very pavilion. It caused his lips to smile at the thought of himself as a young boy walking with the First and accidentally bumping into the Emperor. His entourage immediately pointed swords at the two of them, shouting words like, "Disrespect!" or "Lunatic!". In his defense it wasn't completely his fault. After all, it was the First who playfully pushed him into the Emperor. As any normal kid would've done, he shook with fear at the realization that he, himself, a mere child. has just bumped into the Emperor. The man that ruled over the entire Roman dominion with an iron fist. As Tylis walked over towards the two of them, he nearly lost control of his bowels. The anticipation of the Emperor's punishment scared him to the afterlife, so naturally he closed his eyes and waited for the hand of justice to rain down upon him. But to his surprise, all that came down on him was a calloused hand on his hair that slowly ruffled it back and forth. He looked over and Tylis did the same for the First, ruffling her long black hair slowly as he crouched down to meet their eyes.

"Now what are kids like you two doing in a place like this?" Tylis asked, his voice gentle and soft. He wore full Roman armor, his face hard and rugged, but a warm smile played on his lips.

Tay's mouth opened to reply, but instead a frail hand tugged at his pauldron. The movement shook him out of his flash back as Tylis attempted to pull him to the Arena. "Come on lad, were going to miss the First!" He pleaded.

"Tylis... You know the First's battle will be the very last event right?" The older man either didn't hear him, or chose to ignore as he persisted on dragging his bodyguard to the Colosseum. Tay spouted a worried look for the Emperor, knowing well that time was getting to him, but the amount of memory loss was unprecedented at this age. The man couldn't even remember that the First hasn't walked through the pavilion to enter the arena ever since she was 18, 4 years ago.

Tay quickly shrugged off the notion as Tylis walked him towards the Emperor's balcony that overlooked the entire arena. He peered off the railing that lined the end of the balcony, scanning the rows of seat as they were quickly filled by the commoners. The wealthy had the privilege to spectate the games on one of the many terraces that dotted the upper floors of the Colosseum.

"Say... How come you aren't down there Tay? Roman legionares can participate in the games too." The Emperor asked, clumsily sitting down on his gold-encrusted throne.

Octavius frowned at himself, then he painfully tried to lift his arm, able to only raise the limb past his waist. A sharp pain echoed through his arm as he stretched out the wounded muscle. "My shoulder was blasted from defending a raid in one of the southern outposts. Bandit got a lucky hit."

Tay peered over his shoulder, wondering if the old man was paying any attention, it didn't surprise him when Tylis began to to reach out and try to catch a butterfly, completely forgetting his existence. He couldn't help but smile at the old man's antics, shaking his head as he reverted back to leaning on the rail. "Let's see who you beat this time, Ivy."

Ivy Parthrax, the praetor of the first legion, commonly referred to as "The First", propped herself on her elbow, bearing a tired look as she watched the semi-finals of the gladiator tournament. One of the gladiators, a giant of a man, named "Goron The Great" was tossing the competitor around like a ragdoll. He launched the much smaller opponent across the battleground, laughing once he hit the ground.

"You think you can challenge me? Goron The Great! I'll rip your fucking head off!" The giant of a man bellowed to the fallen warrior.

His opponent, a man clad in leather armor, didn't even have the strength to stand, much more fight, anymore. At the sight of a gladiator in a incapacitated state, the announcer called the fight to a halt, addressing both the winner and the loser.

"The victor of the semi-finals is Goron, The Great! Emperor Tylis will now decide the fate of the loser." With that, he turned around, gesturing towards the Emperor who was sitting diligently on his throne. Tylis looked at the fallen warrior, studying him, as if he was reading a book. After about 2 minutes or so, Tylis suddenly shot up a thumbs-up gesture accompanied by a wide smile.

"The loser is to be spared." the announcer's voice leaked with disappointment, causing Ivy to scrunch her features in disgust. She hated to see somebody die over a simple game like this. Although the sport as a whole has progressed in the way of non-lethal methods of ending a fight, but it really depended on the Emperors judgement. The only few exceptions were a fight ending in "accidental" kill-shots, but other than that, Tylis preferred the bloodshed to be at a minimum, a quality she would always respect about her current Emperor. The warrior that was left standing spat onto the sand, clearly annoyed as he walked back to his respective gate, the latter was cautiously carried out of the arena.

"Someone seems bored." A masculine voice behind her spoke. She answered his assumptions with a simple nod, her eyes remaining trained on the field before her.

"Shouldn't you be with the Emperor, Tay?" Ivy asked her childhood friend, before she looked over her shoulder to peer at him. The fourth praetor simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Tylis was called to a meeting with the council, the messenger explained that it was urgent. The Second will be his standby for now." Octavius mentioned, noticing her visibly stiffen up at his words.

"Rex? Why him?" Ivy angrily asked, "You know how he is, he's obviously going to ask the winner to land the fatal blow. For what? Enjoyment?" Ivy never was good friends with Rex. To her, he was too unpredictable, dangerous and hungry. He always lusted for more power, a trait a good Roman Praetor shouldn't have. The Second would jump at any chance to climb higher in the ranks, he was even rumored to kill previous Praetor of the 2nd legion. Of course, judging from him still retaining his title, the rumors have long died out, but Ivy still could never trust the man.

"The winner? You act as if you have no idea who's winning today, Ms. _I-Have-Won-Every-Tournament-Since-Day-1._ " Tay chuckled, causing Ivy to grin wildly.

"I've learned to not assume," She began, flexing her biceps, "But it is pretty obvious isn't it?" Laughter quickly filled the air, she always liked having Octavius around, he seemed to always know what to say to cheer her up. The Fourth glanced outside, pointing towards the entrance to the arena. The announcer began to walk to the pedestal, shuffling his papers to get ready for another speech.

"Looks like you're up, good luck and all. Not like you need it." Octavius winked as he turned around and walked out the room. Ivy tried her best to contain the smile as readied herself, she quickly found her shield and strapped it on to her back. It was a round, hunk of metal, though not offering as much protection as the traditional square-like shield the Legionare's would carry to battle, it was much lighter and more effective in a one-on-one fight. It was her preference anyways, it allowed her be much more agile, rather than slow her down. Once the shield was slung over he shoulder, she picked up her sword. The blade was etched with the roman numeral "I" down the center, it was much longer than the standard Gladius, but weighed virtually the same. Octavious forged for her as a gift during her 1st Colosseum victory, the name engraved on the handle spelt, 'Thorn'. She thought the name as stupid at first, but soon grew attached to it as the years went by. The blade itself allowed Ivy to either use it with her shield, or use it as a quick two-handed sword. What Ivy liked most about the weapon was the momentum it gave her when she swung, the length of the blade giving more strength when she struck, but it didn't impede her mobility.

"-Versus the Champion of Rome, The First! Ivy Parthrax!" Once the announcer spoke her last name, the gate in front of Ivy escalated, revealing the woman clad in iron armor. The deafening roar of the crowd shook the arena to it's core. Ivy smiled at her fellow Romans, raising her sword over her head, a gesture she'd always done ever since she started the gladiator games. The Romans around her were dripping with excitement, Ivy has been the fan favorite ever since her 3rd win in a row. Her main supporters were the women in the crowd, to them she was the symbol of equality to men in Rome, where patriarchal society ruled. Showing that not only men can hold their own in a fight, but women as well.

Ivy casually walked over to her opponent, _Damn it I forgot his name. Gorgon the Gambler? Gorgon The Grape?_ She thought. As if to answer her, the 7 foot giant spoke.

"This is your champion? Ha! This is merely nothing but a woman!" He roared to the crowd, gaining some boo's from the ladies that occupied the seats of the arena, but it was overwhelmed by the amount of cheers given by the men.

 _Asshole. Right, his name was asshole._ Ivy scowled at the challenger before her. Although she loved Rome and all it's glory, she hated the idea of women being subjugated to men. It was one of the reasons she joined the Legion in the first place, to prove people wrong.

"Let the finals, begin!" The announcer shouted, quickly blowing into the horn which marked the start to the final battle of todays Colosseum games.

Ivy quickly rolled to the right to dodge the giant hammer swung by Goron, recovering her stance. She blew the ebony bangs that covered her eye to the side as she equipped her shield. Steadying herself, she awaited the next attack. Unfinished, Goron twisted his body, swinging his massive bludgeon towards Ivy. She hastily deflected the hammer, then sent a quick stab toward his thighs, sending shots of pain to her opponent. Unfazed, Goron continued the offense, swinging his hammer skywards. The First spun to her right, goading him to attack again. Once Goron finished his first swing, he transferred the momentum into another, hurling the giant weapon at her once again. A smirk played on her lips, once the hammer closed in she spun again smashing his chest with an iron shield.

The strike was strong enough to knock the air out of Goron. The First then switched her style, throwing her shield at her opponent, hastily trailing the flying object with an impressive amount of speed. The shield smacked dead against Goron's chest, not giving him a second to recover, Ivy sent a flurry of slow, but powerful strikes to her opponent. She gripped her sword with two hands, increasing the strength of her blows. The giant backpedaled, attempting to deflect the metal tornado in front of him, but defense came at a cost when using a giant hammer.

Ivy continued relentlessly, smashing her sword into his hammer with overhand strikes. The sheer set of impacts buckled Goron's knees. Ivy quickly noticed this, then in one fluid motion, she spun, kicking the hammer of his hand, then pointed the iron weapon at his throat.

The silence that enveloped the Colosseum was replaced by a huge uproar, celebrating the victor.

"A mere woman huh?" She poked her sword closer, the tip prodding his skin, " Wanna rethink that theory?" She flashed a brilliant smile at her opponent, replacing the blade with a hand. The giant took it and was heaved up by the much smaller figure.

"The victor is Ivy Parthrax!" The crowd exploded into fits of screaming and cheers, drowning the sound of the poor announcer. The now 4-time champ raised her arm triumphantly, adding her own voice to the chaos, smiling wildly.

"SILENCE!" A new voice broke through the constant uproar, causing all eyes to be locate themselves to the Emperor's balcony. "I would like to congratulate our very own First Praetor, but the tournament isn't officially finished." Rex's lips broke into a harrowing grin, aimed directly towards Ivy. He raised his fist in front of him, then twisting it sideways to show a 'thumbs-down'.

The First growled inwardly, glaring at Rex who simply smiled in return. Her head snapped towards her former opponent who shared her confusion. Suddenly the ground underneath him started to glow a fiery red, engulfing him in a crimson light. Goron tried to leap away but was quickly stopped in place as obsidian chains erupted from the ground, clamping onto his wrist. A painful shout was emitted as the fiery chains encircled his wrist, the molten iron burning into his skin as it reeled him onto his knees. Ivy rushed to his aid, slamming her blade down on the chains, only for the force to be bounced back at her, jolting her blade back. She cursed to herself, remembering the chains are virtually impossible to break. A blessing given to the children of Mars.

"What are you doing? Release him at once Rex!" The First shouted, pointing her Gladias at Rex. The son of Mars grew a smug look as he leaned further on the railing.

" I'm tying the boar for slaughter, isn't it obvious?" He malicious grin served to anger the woman even more.

" I command you to let him go!" Ivy commanded, " I am the First Praetor, and you will listen to me Second, or I swear by the Gods I will rip that grin straight off your face." A scarlet aura began to irradiate from her body, causing her to glow a bright red.

For a split second a spark of fear appeared in Rex's eyes, but quickly vanished as he kept his grin, "I'm playing Emperor this evening, Ms. Parthrax, normally I'd listen o' so diligently," He stroked his chin, " But now you're going to listen to me, and I want you to slaughter the livestock. We Romans have no room for weakness, you should know that very well."

Ivy grunted in frustration, then looked at Goron. His forearms were almost completely seared from the chains, his face contorted in a look of sheer agony. Ivy gripped Gladias hard and shot a death glare towards the so called 'Emperor', then averted her eyes back toward her opponent. Goron looked up at her, tears rolled down his cheek, clearing the dust that caked on his face. Ivy took one last look at his pleading eyes while she raised her sword above her head, then brought the blade downwards with both hands.

A flash of crimson, then a repulsive thud, and the death of a fellow Roman.


End file.
